Method and apparatus for multi-SIM selection

ABSTRACT

A mobile transceiver having multiple subscriber identity module (SIM) cards and a method of selection is provided. In accordance with one embodiment, there is provided a method of operating a mobile transceiver, comprising: activating a cellular transceiver using a first SIM card in a plurality of SIM cards, wherein the first SIM card is a last used SIM card in the plurality of SIM cards; searching, via the cellular transceiver, for available wireless services associated with the first SIM card; and switching from the first SIM card to a second SIM card in the plurality of SIM cards when a wireless service for the first SIM card is not available.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application is a continuation of U.S. patent applicationSer. No. 14/987,897, filed Jan. 5, 2016, the content of which isincorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure relates generally to mobile transceivers, andmore specifically, to a mobile transceiver having multiple SubscriberIdentity Module (SIM) cards and a method of selection.

BACKGROUND

Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) tracking devices, such asGlobal positioning system (GPS) tracking devices, are devices carried byobjects or persons (“carriers”) which measure the location of thecarrier using the GNSS at regular intervals and typically store thelocation in internal memory. Examples of types of GNSS tracking devicesinclude: a data logger, a data pusher and a data puller. A data loggermay store the measured location data in internal memory for subsequentdownload and analysis. A data pusher (also known as a beacon) may sendlocation data stored in internal memory to a server or other device inaccordance with predefined parameters. A data puller (also known as atransponder) may store location data in internal memory and provides thelocation data in response to queries from a server or other device. GNSStracking devices may have limited power and/or limited processingresources. Accordingly, methods of efficiently operating and deployingGNSS tracking devices may be desirable.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a communication system suitablefor operating a mobile transceiver in accordance with the presentdisclosure.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a mobile transceiver inaccordance with an example embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating a wireless communicationsubsystem in accordance with an example embodiment of the presentdisclosure.

FIG. 4 is an example shipping container suitable for mounting a mobiletransceiver in accordance with the present disclosure.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a mobile transceiver housing inaccordance with one embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 6A is a front view of the mobile transceiver housing of FIG. 5mounted to a door of the shipping container of FIG. 4 viewed from theinterior of the shipping container.

FIG. 6B is a side view of the mobile transceiver housing of FIG. 5mounted to a door of the shipping container of FIG. 4.

FIG. 6C is a sectional view of the mobile transceiver housing of FIG. 5mounted to a door of the shipping container of FIG. 4.

FIG. 7 is a block diagram of a SIM card selection circuit in accordancewith one embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIGS. 8A and 8B are flowcharts illustrating a method of selecting a SIMcard of a mobile transceiver in accordance with embodiments of thepresent disclosure.

FIGS. 9A and 9B are flowcharts illustrating a method of switching SIMcards of a mobile transceiver in accordance with embodiments of thepresent disclosure.

DESCRIPTION OF EXAMPLE EMBODIMENTS

The present disclosure is made with reference to the accompanyingdrawings, in which embodiments are shown. However, many differentembodiments may be used, and thus the description should not beconstrued as limited to the embodiments set forth herein. Rather, theseembodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough andcomplete. Like numbers refer to like elements throughout, and primenotation is used to indicate similar elements, operations or steps inalternative embodiments. Separate boxes or illustrated separation offunctional elements of illustrated systems and devices does notnecessarily require physical separation of such functions, ascommunication between such elements can occur by way of messaging,function calls, shared memory space, and so on, without any suchphysical separation. As such, functions need not be implemented inphysically or logically separated platforms, although they areillustrated separately for ease of explanation herein. Different devicescan have different designs, such that while some devices implement somefunctions in fixed function hardware, other devices can implement suchfunctions in a programmable processor with code obtained from a machinereadable medium.

The present disclosure provides a mobile transceiver that may allowglobal and long-range tracking applications in which an asset in globaland long-range transit can be tracked even though it crosses wirelesscarrier and network coverage boundaries while in transit. In global andlong-range tracking applications the mobile transceiver and the assetbeing tracked may cross wireless carrier and network coverage boundarieswhile in transit. For example, it is not uncommon for a shippingcontainer to originate in mainland China and travel around South Africawith a final destination in North America.

In accordance with an example embodiment of one aspect of the presentdisclosure, there is provided a method of operating a mobiletransceiver, comprising: waking up the mobile transceiver from a lowpower mode in response to a wakeup event; determining whether a SIM cardhas been pre-selected for a location of the mobile transceiver or thewakeup event; when a SIM card has been pre-selected, selecting thepre-selected SIM card as a first subscriber identity module (SIM) card,activating a cellular transceiver using the first SIM card, andsearching, via the cellular transceiver, for available wireless servicesassociated with the first SIM card; and when a wireless service isavailable, sending at least a portion of a data log to an asset trackingservice using the wireless service.

In accordance with an example embodiment of another aspect of thepresent disclosure, there is provided a method of operating a mobiletransceiver, comprising: activating a cellular transceiver from a lowpower mode in response to a wakeup event, wherein the cellulartransceiver is activated using a first SIM card; searching, via thecellular transceiver, for available wireless services associated withthe first SIM card; and switching from the first SIM card to a differentSIM card in a plurality of SIM cards when a wireless service is notavailable.

In accordance with an example embodiment of a further aspect of thepresent disclosure, there is provided a method of operating a mobiletransceiver, comprising: activating a cellular transceiver from a lowpower mode in response to a wakeup event, wherein the cellulartransceiver is activated using a first SIM card; searching, via thecellular transceiver, for available wireless services associated withthe first SIM card; and when a wireless service is available,determining whether a different SIM card is preferred to the first SIMcard in accordance with a mobile country code (MCC) of the availablewireless services and a mapping between the plurality of SIM cards andlocation; and switching from the first SIM card to the other SIM cardwhen a different SIM card is preferred to the first SIM card.

In accordance with an embodiment of yet a further aspect of the presentdisclosure, there is provided a method of operating a mobiletransceiver, comprising: activating the mobile transceiver from a lowpower mode in response to a wakeup event; determining whether the wakeupevent corresponds to a waypoint in a travel itinerary; when the wakeupevent corresponds to a waypoint in a travel itinerary, selecting a SIMcard from a plurality of SIM cards as a first SIM card in accordancewith the waypoint and a pre-defined SIM card selection associated withthe waypoint; and searching, via a cellular transceiver, for availablewireless services associated with the first SIM card.

In accordance with example embodiments of yet further aspects of thepresent disclosure, there is provided a mobile transceiver, comprising:a processor; a memory coupled to the processor; a wireless transceivercoupled to the processor; a satellite receiver coupled to the processor;a plurality of SIMs coupled to the processor, wherein the SIMs may bephysical or virtual; wherein the mobile transceiver is configured toperform the methods described herein.

In accordance with example embodiments of yet further aspects of thepresent disclosure, there is provided a non-transitory machine readablemedium having tangibly stored thereon executable instructions that, whenexecuted by a processor of a mobile transceiver, the mobile transceivercomprising a memory, a wireless transceiver and a satellite receivereach coupled to the processor, wherein the executable instructions causethe mobile transceiver to perform the methods described herein.

Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, an example embodiment of a mobiletransceiver 102 of the present disclosure will be described. The mobiletransceiver 102 comprises at least one processor 104 which controls theoverall operation of the mobile transceiver 102. The processor 104 iscoupled to a plurality of components via a communication bus (not shown)which provides a communication path between the components and theprocessor 104. The mobile transceiver 102 also comprises a Random AccessMemory (RAM) 108, Read Only Memory (ROM) 110, a persistent(non-volatile) memory 112 which may be flash erasable programmable readonly memory (EPROM) (“flash memory”) or other suitable form of memory, adata port 122 such as a serial data port (e.g., Universal Serial Bus(USB) data port), and a plurality of environmental sensors 130 forsensing the environment of the mobile transceiver 102. The sensors 130may comprise a light sensor 131, temperature sensor 132, pressure sensor133, humidity sensor 134, gyroscope 135, accelerometer 136, one or moretime-of-flight (ToF) sensors 137 and possibly other sensors such as adoor contact switch (not shown).

The mobile transceiver 102 also comprises a satellite receiver 120 forreceiving satellite signals from a satellite network 180 that comprisesa plurality of satellites which are part of a global or regionalsatellite navigation system. In some embodiments, a satellitetransceiver capable of both receiving and sending satellite signals maybe provided instead of a satellite receiver which can only receivesatellite signals.

The mobile transceiver 102 can use signals received by the satellitereceiver 120 from a plurality of satellites in the satellite network 180to determine its position. In at least some embodiments, the satellitenetwork 180 comprises a plurality of satellites which are part of atleast one Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) that providesautonomous geo-spatial positioning with global coverage. For example,the satellite network 180 may be a constellation of GNSS satellites.Example GNSSs include the United States NAVSTAR Global PositioningSystem (GPS) or the Russian GLObal NAvigation Satellite System(GLONASS). Other satellite navigation systems which have been deployedor which are in development include the European Union's Galileopositioning system, China's BeiDou Navigation Satellite System (BDS),the Indian regional satellite navigation system, and the Japanesesatellite navigation system.

The mobile transceiver 102 also comprises one or more wirelesstransceivers for exchanging at least data communication. The wirelesstransceivers comprises at least a cellular (RF) transceiver 114 forcommunicating with a plurality of different radio access networks (RAN)such as a cellular network 160 using different wireless datacommunication protocols and standards. The mobile transceiver 102 maycommunicate with any one of a plurality of fixed transceiver basestations (one of which is shown in FIG. 1) of the cellular network 160within its geographic coverage area. The mobile transceiver 102 may sendand receive signals over the cellular network 160 after the requirednetwork registration and/or activation procedures have been completed.

The cellular transceiver 114 is a multi-band transceiver that supportsmultiple radio frequency bands which may include, for example, multiple4G Long-Term Evolution (LTE) or LTE Advanced bands as well as global 3Gand 2G bands such as, for example, a TOBY-L2 series wireless transceiverfrom u-blox Holding AG of Switzerland. Multiple dedicated transceiverscould be provided to support different wireless services, such as 4GLTE, 3G and 2G wireless services in other embodiments.

Examples of technologies that can be used by the cellular transceiver114 include LTE, LTE Advanced, General Packet Radio Service (GPRS),Mobitex™, and Data TACT™. Other example technologies that can be used bythe cellular transceiver 114 include Advanced Mobile Phone System(AMPS), time division multiple access (TDMA), Code Division MultipleAccess (CDMA), Wideband code division multiple access (W-CDMA), PersonalCommunication Service (PCS), GSM (Global System for MobileCommunication), Cellular Digital Packet Data (CDPD), integrated DigitalEnhanced Network (iDEN), High-Speed Downlink Packet Access (HSPDA),Evolution-Data Optimized (EvDO), Enhanced Data rates for GSM Evolution(EDGE), etc. Other types of communication networks, both separate andintegrated, may also be utilized with the mobile transceiver 102. Themobile transceiver 102 may also be compliant with other communicationstandards such as 3GSM, 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP),Universal Mobile Telecommunication System (UMTS), 4G, etc. Theabove-noted technologies are used by example and are not exhaustive. Thedescribed embodiments do not depend on any particular characteristics orcapabilities of the RAN.

The wireless transceivers may also comprise a wireless local areanetwork (WLAN) transceiver 116 for communicating with a WLAN 150 via aWLAN access point (AP). The WLAN 150 may comprise a Wi-Fi wirelessnetwork which conforms to IEEE 802.11x standards (sometimes referred toas Wi-Fi®). Other communication protocols may be used for the WLAN 104in other embodiments.

The wireless transceivers may also comprise a short-range wirelesstransceiver, such as a Bluetooth® transceiver 118, for communicatingwith a computer 240. The mobile transceiver 102 may alternativelycommunicate with the computer 240 using a physical link such as the dataport 122 (e.g., USB port). The Bluetooth transceiver 118 could becompatible with any suitable version of the Bluetooth protocol includingBluetooth low energy (Bluetooth Smart). Other short-range wirelesscommunication technologies may be provided instead of, or in additionto, Bluetooth® including but not limited to Near field communication(NFC), IEEE 802.15.3a (also referred to as UltraWideband (UWB)), Z-Wave,ZigBee, ANT/ANT+ or infrared (e.g., Infrared Data Association (IrDA)communication).

Data received by the mobile transceiver 102 may be decompressed anddecrypted by a decoder (not shown). The communication subsystem of themobile transceiver 102 also includes one or more antennas, a processorsuch as a digital signal processor (DSP), and local oscillators (LOs).The specific design and implementation of the communication subsystem isdependent upon the wireless communication technologies implemented bythe mobile transceiver 102.

Network access requirements vary depending upon the type of cellularnetwork 160. The mobile transceiver 102 includes a plurality of smartcard interfaces 140, each smart card interface 140 receiving a smartcard 142 for storing and reading data, such as subscriber identity data,by the processor 104. The smart cards 142 may be Subscriber IdentityModule (SIM) cards for use in a GSM network or other type of smart cardfor use in the relevant wireless network type which provides wirelessnetwork access. The smart cards 142 may be Universal Integrated CircuitCards (UICCs) each containing at least a SIM and a Universal SubscriberIdentity Module (USIM) application. UICC is the smart card technologyused in most contemporary GSM and UMTS networks. While SIM cards for aGSM network has been described as an example, the term smart card isintended to encompass all types of smart cards and other similartechnology for providing a USIM, Removable User Identity Module (R-UIM)or CDMA Subscriber Identity Module (CSIM) or other similar technologyused in UMTS and CDMA networks. The SIMs may be physical or virtualSIMs. A virtual SIM/SIM card is a data object stored in memory, such asthe memory 112, which includes the subscriber identity data normallystored on a physical SIM card, emulating a physical SIM card.

The SIM cards include subscriber identity data (also referred to as SIMdata) includes information necessary to obtain access to a wirelessvoice and/or data network provided, for example, by a wireless networkservice provider, depending on the embodiment. The subscriber identitydata may include network operator bundle information and/or user datainformation. Examples of network operator bundle information and/or userdata information may include subscriber identification information,network selection parameters, network operator data and application datafor accessing various data services, etc. In one embodiment, thesubscriber identity data comprises subscriber identificationinformation, network selection parameters, and network operator data(sometimes referred to as “network credentials”). In other embodiments,the subscriber identity may include more or less information. Forexample, in some embodiments, the subscriber identity data may furthercomprise application data.

Examples of subscriber identification information may include, withoutlimitation, International Mobile Subscriber Identity (IMSI), IntegratedCircuit Card ID (ICCID), Temporary Mobile Subscriber Identity (TMSI),Packet TMSI (P-TMSI), and Mobile Subscriber Integrated Services DigitalNetwork Number (MSISDN). Example network selection parameters include,without limitation, Public Land Mobile Network Selector (PLMNSel),Forbidden PLMN (FPLMN), and Home PLMN (HPLMN). Examples of networkoperator data include, without limitation, Operator controlled PLMN(OPLMN) list SPN (Service Provider Name), PLMN Network Name (PNN) forname display, Emergency Control Center (ECC) for emergency calls, andother call categories, etc. Examples of application data include,without limitation, the SIM Application Toolkit (STK) (e.g., RoamingBroker, Enhanced Network Selection (ENS), International Mobile EquipmentIdentity (IMEI) change applications, etc.)

In some embodiments, the subscriber identity data may further compriseauthentication information, such as keys, and encryption algorithms,etc. For example, authentication information may comprise anauthentication key (Ki) and the encryption algorithms described in 3GPPTS 35.205 V9.0.0 published Dec. 31, 2009 and entitled “Specification ofthe MILENAGE Algorithm Set: An example algorithm set for the 3GPPauthentication and key generation functions f1, f1*, f2, f3, f4, f5 andf5*”, the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference in itsentirety.

The mobile transceiver 102 also includes a battery 146 as a powersource. The battery 146 may be a rechargeable or non-rechargeablebattery. The battery 146 provides electrical power to at least some ofthe components of the mobile transceiver 102. A battery interface 144provides a mechanical and electrical connection for the battery 146. Thebattery interface 144 may be coupled to a regulator (not shown) whichprovides power V+ to the circuitry of the mobile transceiver 102. Insome embodiments, the battery 146 is a large-capacity, non-rechargeable,sealed battery which is expected to have a relatively long service life,such as 5-7 years of active service. It will be appreciated that themobile transceiver 102 is intended for uninterrupted operation eventhough one or more components, such as the cellular transceiver 114,satellite receiver 120 and/or sensors 130 may be put into a low powermode periodically to conserve battery life. An initialization date orsimilar date when the mobile transceiver 102 was first powered on, e.g.when the battery 146 is first installed, may be used to determine thedate and time of the first power up. Due to the desire for uninterruptedoperation, it is contemplated that the mobile transceiver 102 may lack apower button (on/off button) in some embodiments.

The mobile transceiver 102 may also include a power interface, such as apower port, for connecting to an external power source 152 such as analternating current (AC) power adapter. The mobile transceiver 102 canuse the external power source 152 rather than the battery 146. If thebattery 146 is rechargeable, the external power source 152 may be usedto recharge the battery 146.

Referring again to FIG. 1, an example communication system 100 in whicha mobile transceiver 102 of the present disclosure can operate will bedescribed. The mobile transceiver 102 typically uses the cellularnetwork 160 to access an asset tracking service (e.g., a server or fleetmanagement system) 200. The asset tracking server 200 may be implementedas one or more server modules and is typically located behind a firewall210. The asset tracking server 200 provides administrative control andmanagement capabilities over a plurality of managed mobile transceivers102. The asset tracking service 200 may be embodied as a variety ofconfigurations, in hardware or software, including a server-basedsystem, an Application Programming Interface (API) and/or endpoint thatprovides access and abstraction of the functionality of asset trackingserver 200 such that no hardware or configuration information isnecessary to access the functionality other than the API location andfunctional definitions.

The asset tracking service 200 provides secure transmission of dataexchanged between the asset tracking service 200 and the plurality ofmanaged mobile transceivers 102. Communication between the assettracking service 200 and the mobile transceivers 102 may be encrypted,for example, using Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) or Triple DataEncryption Standard (Triple DES) encryption.

The mobile transceiver 102 use signals received by the satellitereceiver 120 from a plurality of satellites in the satellite network 180to determine its position. For example, the mobile transceiver 102 mayuse the satellite receiver 120 to determine is location in response toan alarm. An alarm is a configurable wakeup event which causes themobile transceiver 102, or a subsystem of the mobile transceiver 102such as the satellite receiver 120 or one or more sensors 130, to wakeup from a low power mode such as a sleep mode and perform configuredactions (e.g., performs measurements of location and sensors) which arethen logged and/or reported to the asset tracking service 200. The alarmmay be a time-based alarm which the subsystem wakes up at regularintervals in accordance with a predefined schedule among otherpossibilities. The frequency or schedule at which the location isdetermined may be fixed or configurable. The mobile transceiver 102stores the determined location, typically in terms of Latitude andLongitude, and a time at which the location was determined in a data logstored in the memory 112 of the mobile transceiver 102. Thus, the datalog provides an asset tracking log.

As noted above, the mobile transceiver 102 may also use one or more ofthe sensors 130 to sense or measure an environment of the mobiletransceiver 102 in response to an alarm. For example, the sensors 130may be used to measure temperature, pressure and humidity, as well asdoor open or movement events, among other parameters. The sensor dataobtained via the sensors 130 and a time at which the sensor data wasobtained are also stored in the data log (i.e., the asset tracking log),which is stored in the memory 112. As with the location data, the mobiletransceiver 102 may collect sensor data at regular intervals, inaccordance with a predefined schedule, or in response to an alarm. Thefrequency or schedule at which sensor data is obtained may be fixed orconfigurable.

The mobile transceiver 102 attempts to connect to the asset trackingservice 200 to report location and/or sensor data stored in the assettracking log at regular intervals, in accordance with a predefinedschedule, or in response to an alarm. The frequency or schedule at whichthe mobile transceiver 102 attempts to connect to the asset trackingservice 200 may be fixed or configurable. The mobile transceiver 102typically attempts to connect to the asset tracking service 200 using awireless transceiver such as the cellular transceiver 114. The mobiletransceiver 102 has access to multiple wireless services provided bymultiple wireless transceivers, each of which provides access to one ormore wireless services. In the described embodiment, the multiplewireless transceivers comprise the cellular transceiver 114, WLANtransceiver 116, and Bluetooth transceiver 118. The wirelesstransceivers may include multiple cellular transceivers 114 in someembodiments, which may be multi-band cellular transceivers 114. Themobile transceiver 102 could also attempt to connect to the assettracking service 200 using a physical link, either directly orindirectly via the computer 240. Each wireless service supported by themobile transceiver 102 may be defined by a standard or specification.Non-limiting examples of wireless service described elsewhere in thepresent disclosure and include 4G Long-Term Evolution (LTE), 3G and 2G,WLAN and Bluetooth.

When the mobile transceiver 102 connects to the cellular network 160,WLAN 150, or computer 240 via Bluetooth and/or USB, the mobiletransceiver 102 can send the data log or a portion of the data log(i.e., an unreported portion of the data log) to the asset trackingservice 200 through the firewall 210 using a communication network 230.The data log information may be sent using any suitable message formatincluding, for example, a proprietary message format. The mobiletransceiver 102 data log typically includes an indicator regarding whichdata in the data log has been reported and which data in the data log isunreported. For example, in some embodiments, the data log comprises aseries of records including and identified by a record identifier (ID).Each record also includes a time at which the record was made, locationdata and/or sensor data, and a report status indicating whether therecord has been reported to the asset tracking service 200. After anunreported record is reported to the asset tracking service 200, itscorresponding report status field in the data log is updated.

The mobile transceiver 102 powers-down certain device components whennot in use to conserve battery power. For example, the mobiletransceiver 102 initiates a low power mode for the cellular transceiver114 after a reporting time/cycle. The low power mode may be an off mode(also known as an off state) in which the cellular transceiver 114 isunpowered or a sleep mode (also known as a standby mode or suspendedoperation mode) with low power consumption. The cellular transceiver 114is then activated from the low power mode at the next reportingtime/cycle. Any other wireless transceivers are similarly placed into alow power mode after a reporting time/cycle. The satellite receiver 120and sensors 130 may also be placed into a low power mode when notobtaining location or sensor data, and then activated from the low powermode at the next measurement time/cycle.

The data logging and data reporting cycles are typically different anddo not coincide, although the cycles may overlap to varying degrees. Forexample, each reporting cycle typically involves reporting severalrecords of the data log each including location data and/or sensor data.The cycles may overlap in that location data and/or sensor data may becaptured as part of a common process at some times or may be captured aspart of a separate process performed just prior to reporting logged datato the asset tracking service 200. For example, a wireless transceivermay be awaken for reporting at the same time, or just after, thesatellite receiver 120 and/or sensors 130 are awaken and location dataand/or sensor data is captured.

The communication system 100 is provided for the purpose of illustrationonly. The communication system 100 is but one possible configuration ofa multitude of possible communication network configurations for usewith the mobile transceiver 102. Suitable variations will be understoodto a person of skill in the art and are intended to fall within thescope of the present disclosure. For example, while individual networkshave been represented for convenience, it will be appreciated thatmultiple networks of each type and intermediate networks connected tothe shown networks may be provided. Also, the communication linksrepresented in FIG. 1 can be implemented using public and/or privatenetworks that can communicate using packet data technologies, such asX.25 or Internet Protocol (IP) based addressing and routing techniques.Some connections can be implemented as secure connections, for example,using Virtual Private Network (VPN) technologies.

Referring now to FIG. 3, a wireless communication subsystem 300 inaccordance with an example embodiment of the present disclosure will bedescribed. The wireless communication subsystem 300 includes a digitalbaseband processor 304 which manages functions that require an antenna,and a plurality of wireless transceivers and/or receivers 306,represented individually by references 306 a, 306 b, . . . 306 n. Eachof the wireless transceivers/receivers 306 is coupled to a switch 308,represented individually by references 308 a, 308 b, . . . 308 n, whichis coupled to an internal antenna 310, represented individually byreferences 310 a, 310 b, . . . 310 n, and an external antenna 312,represented individually by references 312 a, 312 b, . . . 312 n. Theexternal antennas 312 typically serve as the primary antennas because ofthe reduced RF interference associated with being located outside of theshipping container 400, whereas the internal antennas 310 typicallyserve as secondary antennas because of the increased RF interferenceassociated with being located inside of the shipping container 400.

It at least some embodiments, the external antennas 312 are provided ina common external antenna module, and a ground pin of the externalantenna module is connected to a general-purpose input/output (GPIO) pinof the processor 104 which can be monitored, for example, when themobile transceiver 102 wakes up. When the ground pin of the externalantenna module is not detected, this is an indication that the externalantenna module is disconnected, an electronic malfunction has occurredin the external antenna module, or the external antenna 312 and/or theexternal housing module 504 has been otherwise damaged or tampered with.In other embodiments, a ground pin of each external antenna 312 may beindividually connected to a GPIO pin of the processor 104.

As noted above, the wireless transceivers/receivers 306 include at leastone cellular transceiver 114 such as a multi-band cellular transceiverthat supports multiple radio frequency bands which may include, forexample, multiple 4G Long-Term Evolution (LTE) or LTE Advanced bands aswell as global 3G and 2G bands and at least one satellite receiver 120.

While a common baseband processor 304 for the cellular transceiver 114and satellite receiver 120 has been described, in other embodiments aseparate baseband processor could be provided for the satellite receiver120 and the cellular transceiver 114. In the wireless communicationsubsystem 300, the cellular transceiver 114 and satellite receiver 120are individually switched and capable of operating independently.Consequently, the satellite receiver 120 can use an external antenna 312while the cellular transceiver 114 uses an internal antenna 310, or viceversa, the satellite receiver 120 and the cellular transceiver 114 canboth use an external antennas 312, or the satellite receiver 120 and thecellular transceiver 114 can both use an internal antennas 30. Thebaseband processor 304, or main processor 104, selects either theinternal antenna 310 or external antenna 312 for the satellite receiver120 and the cellular transceiver 114 depending on factors such as signalquality and ancillary information from the sensors 130. Each of thewireless transceivers/receivers 306 (e.g., the satellite receiver 120and the cellular transceiver 114) may also be separately powered-on,powered-off or placed into a sleep mode.

While not shown, each of the wireless transceivers/receivers 306 has anRF front end circuit (also known as a transceiver module/receivermodule) which generally includes all components between the antennas andthe digital baseband processor 304. For example, the RF front endcircuit of a cellular transceiver includes a receiver, a transmitter,and local oscillators (LOs). The receiver performs common receiverfunctions as signal amplification, frequency down conversion, filtering,channel selection, etc., as well as analog-to-digital conversion (ADC).The ADC of a received signal allows more complex communication functionssuch as demodulation and decoding to be performed by the digitalbaseband processor 304. In a similar manner, signals to be transmittedare processed, including modulation and encoding, for example, by thedigital baseband processor 304. The processed signals are input to thetransmitter for digital-to-analog conversion (DAC), frequency upconversion, filtering, amplification, and transmission via the antennas.A receiver, lacking transmitting functions, typically omits componentsrequired for receiving.

The mobile transceiver 102 is intended to be attached to, orincorporated in, a moveable asset to track its location using asatellite receiver 120 as well as sensing or measuring other conditions,such as temperature, humidity, general operating conditions, averagespeed, maximum speed, content status, door open or closed condition,etc. using the sensors 130. The asset tracked by the mobile transceiver102 may be a shipping container, truck, rail car, automobile, etc.Tracking requirements for tracking assets may vary depending on the modeof transportation (e.g., ship, rail, car, and possibly air). Forexample, if the mobile transceiver 102 is attached to an asset that isbeing moved by rail, the logging and/or reporting may be at longerintervals than if the asset was being moved by truck through townstreets. Also, different sensors 130 may be monitored depending on themode of transportation. For example, there may be no need to check fordoor open or close status while mobile transceiver 102 is being moved byship.

The mobile transceiver 102 has a device configuration which definesalarms (e.g., wakeup or trigger events) which wake up the mobiletransceiver 102 from an inactive mode (e.g., sleep mode) to determinethe device status, including location and/or environmental conditions ata particular time, and report the device status to the asset trackingservice 200. The alarms events may be scheduled events, for examplebased on a time of day or frequency, or unscheduled events whichasynchronously wake up the mobile transceiver 102 to report the devicestatus. The mobile transceiver 102 is in a sleep mode much of the timeto conserve power and wakes up in response to alarms. For example, themobile transceiver 102 may wake up only at predetermined time intervalsor due to detections or measurements by the sensors 130. When the mobiletransceiver 102 wakes up from sleep mode, the mobile transceiver 102typically determines its location using the satellite receiver 120and/or measures one or more environmental conditions using one or moreof the sensors 130, stores the measured data in a data log in memory112, and then reports the device status to the asset tracking service200, for example, by sending at least a portion of a data log to theasset tracking service 200 over the Internet via the cellulartransceiver 114. For example, the mobile transceiver 102 may wake upevery hour to determine and report the device status, or the mobiletransceiver 102 may wake up when a door of the shipping container towhich it is attached is opened. When the mobile transceiver 102 wakesup, the mobile transceiver 102 may determine the reason for the alarm.The mobile transceiver 102 may then determine its location using thesatellite receiver 120 and/or measure one or more environmentalconditions based on the alarm type. The mobile transceiver 102 may thentransmit the measured data to the asset tracking service 200. The mobiletransceiver 102 then goes back to into the sleep mode until it wakes upin response to another alarm.

Each alarm is defined by a number of parameters that includes anidentifier (ID) such as a unique number to identify the alarm, an alarmtype that identifies a type of the alarm, one or more conditionparameters to be satisfied for the alarm to be triggered, and one ormore actions to take when the alarm is triggered. The alarm types aretypically based on either time or sensor data. There are two sub-typesof time-based alarms. The first type of timed based alarm is frequencywhich specifies a frequency at which data is to be measured, thecondition parameters for the alarm checked and reported to the assettracking service 200. An example value for the frequency alarm is every15 minutes. The second type of time based alarm is time (or date) whichspecifies a time and/or date at which the condition parameters for thealarm are checked. An example value for the frequency alarm is 12:00 PMevery day. The sensor-based alarms are defined based on the capabilitiesof the mobile transceiver 102, i.e. the onboard sensors 130. Thesensor-based alarms may include temperature, humidity, pressure,movement detection, location, location within or with respect to aspecific geo-fence, door open or closed condition, etc. The alarm typesmay also be based on other factors such as location or location history.A geo-fence is a virtual perimeter defined by a particular geographicarea using geo-spatial coordinates, such as Latitude and Longitude, usedby the satellite receiver 120. A geo-fence may be fixed or dynamicallygenerated, for example, a radius around a particular point location. Thegeo-fence may be a predefined set of boundaries, or may be a set ofzones or areas which need not be adjacent. The alarm actions may includethe type of sensor data to measure and transmit to the asset trackingservice 200 and possibly other things like running diagnostics, changingdevice state, location data, etc.

FIG. 5 illustrates a mobile transceiver housing 500 of the mobiletransceiver 102 in accordance with one example embodiment of the presentdisclosure. The housing 500 is a two-part, interconnected module,configured to be mounted to a shipping container, for example, through adoor of the shipping container. The housing 500 comprises an internalmodule 502 and an external module 504. The internal module 502 isconfigured to be mounted on the interior of the shipping container, forexample, on an inside surface of a door of the shipping container. Theexternal module 504 is configured to be mounted on the exterior of theshipping container, for example, on an outside surface of the door ofthe shipping container. The external module carries the externalantennas 312. The internal module carries the internal antennas 310, andmost of the other electronic components of the mobile transceiver 102.

The internal module 502 and external module 504 are connected to eachother, for example, by mounting screws (or bolts) when mounted to ashipping container 400 or other asset. A pair of mounting screws is usedin the shown embodiment. A different number of mounting screws could beprovided in other embodiments. In preparation for mounting the mobiletransceiver 102, three holes are formed in the door of the shippingcontainer using drilling or the like. Alternatively, the holes may beperformed in the shipping container. Two of the holes are provided toreceive the mounting screws while the third hole is used to pass throughelectronics from the internal module 502, such as external antennas forthe cellular transceiver 114 and satellite receiver 120 and associatedcircuitry, to be carried in the external module 504 in the mountedmobile transceiver 102. In the shown embodiment, two holes 512 areformed in the front panel 510 of the internal module 502 for receivingthe mounting screws. Corresponding holes are located in the bottom ofthe internal module 502. A hole in the bottom of the internal module 502is also provided for receiving the electronics. The front panel 510 ofthe internal module 502 also includes a light transmissive panel 520,such as a transparent panel.

The housing 500 defines a sensor compartment for receiving at least someof the sensors 130 located opposite to the transmissive panel 520. Thesensor compartment carries the light sensor 131 and the one or more ToFsensors 137. In the described embodiment, two ToF sensors 137 arecarried in the sensor compartment. In some embodiments, one ToF sensor137 may be configured for long-range sensing and the other ToF sensor137 may be configured for short-range sensing. In some embodiments, themeasuring range of the ToF sensors 137 may be configurable, for example,using software. In at least some embodiments, each ToF sensor 137comprises an integrated circuit (IC), a light emitting diode (LED)emitter, and a LED received. The ToF sensors 137 may be mounted togetherwith the light sensor 131 on a printed circuit board (PCB), such as aflexible PCB, carried in the sensor compartment.

The light sensor 131 is configured and positioned within the sensorcompartment for sensing light outside of the mobile transceiver 102through the transmissive panel 520. The first sensor 137 is configuredand positioned within the sensor compartment for detecting objects in afirst direction through the transmissive panel 520 outside of the mobiletransceiver 102, i.e. within the interior of the shipping container whenthe mobile transceiver 102 is mounted to the shipping container. Forexample, the first ToF sensor 137 may be used for detecting objectswithin the interior of the shipping container by measuring the distancebetween the mobile transceiver 102 and the nearest object in the firstdirection, and determining whether the shipper container is loaded(e.g., one or more objects detected) or unloaded (e.g., no objectsdetected). The second ToF sensor 137 is configured and positioned withinthe sensor compartment for measuring the distance in a second directionbetween the second ToF sensor 137 and an inside surface of the frontpanel 510. The distance between the second ToF sensor 137 and an insidesurface of the front panel 510 should be fixed. A change in the distancemeasured by the second ToF sensor 137, such as increase in the senseddistance, provides an indication of an abnormal antenna condition of theexternal antenna in that the external module 504 may be damaged or mayhave been tampered with. In the described embodiment, the ToF sensors137 are configured to face opposite directions so that one sensormeasures distance and the other sensor is used to detect the presence orabsence of the external antenna module. Alternatively, in otherembodiments the ToF sensors 137 may be configured to face the samedirection and measure distance in different ranges, i.e., short rangeand long range, for increased accuracy. Alternatively, two ToF sensors137 may be configured to face the same direction and measure distance indifferent ranges while one or more ToF sensors face the oppositedirection to detect the presence or absence of the external antennamodule.

FIG. 4 illustrates an example shipping container 400 suitable formounting the mobile transceiver 102. The shipping container 400 includesa pair of interlocking doors 410, 412. The mobile transceiver 102 ismounted through one of the doors 410, 412 with the internal module 502on the inside of the door 410 or 412, and the external module 504 on theoutside of the door 410 or 412. Suitable mounting locations for themobile transceiver 102 on the door 412 are represented by references420, 430 and 440. While example mounting locations for the mobiletransceiver 102 are located on the door 412, it will be appreciated thatthe mobile transceiver 102 could be mounted on any door of the shippingcontainer 400, or possibly a wall of the shipping container 400.Mounting screws 610 are received in the mounting holes 512 in the frontpanel 510 of internal module 502 of the mobile transceiver housing 500,and are secured in thread holes (not shown) on the inside of theexternal module 504 of the mobile transceiver housing 500. In someembodiments, the internal module 502 and external module 504 may befurther secured to the container door 412 using a suitable mountingadhesive, such as a suitable double-sided adhesive strip or tape.

FIG. 6A to 6C illustrate the mobile transceiver 102 mounted to the door412 of the shipping container 400. FIG. 6A is a front view of the mobiletransceiver housing 500 mounted to the door 412 of the shippingcontainer 400. FIG. 6B is a side view of the mobile transceiver housing500 mounted to the door 412 of the shipping container 400. FIG. 6C is asectional view of the mobile transceiver housing 500 mounted to a doorof the shipping container 400. The sensor compartment for receiving thelight sensor 131 and ToF sensors 137 is represented by reference 530,and is located opposite to the transmissive panel 520.

Multi-SIM Selection

Reference is now made to FIG. 7, which illustrates a SIM card selectioncircuit 700 in accordance with one embodiment of the present disclosure.The circuit 700 comprises a physical or virtual SIM cards which arecoupled to the cellular transceiver 114 and processor 104 via a switch718. The SIMs may be physical or virtual SIMs. In the describedembodiment, the circuit 700 comprises two SIM cards, represented byreferences 712 and 714 which are coupled to the cellular transceiver 114via a 4-port analog switch 718. In other embodiments, more than two SIMcards may be coupled to the cellular transceiver 114. If more than onecellular transceiver 114 is provided, each cellular transceiver 114 mayhave a physical or virtual SIM cards coupled thereto via a respectiveswitch.

In the described embodiment, the SIM cards 712, 714 share a commoncellular transceiver 114 and baseband processor 304 or baseband circuit.Each of SIM cards 712, 714 may be associated with different wirelessservice provider or providers (also known as “wireless carriers”). TheSIM cards 712, 714 may be preferred for particular geographical regions,for example, based on the wireless service providers associated with theSIM cards 712, 714 in those geographical regions. The geographicalregions may be differentiated based on country or region (e.g. AsiaPacific, Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA), North America, SouthAmerica, etc.).

The processor 104 uses the switch 718 to select and switch between theSIM cards 712, 714 used by the cellular transceiver 114. In thedescribed embodiment, the processor 104 is connected to the switch 718by a GPIO pin 722. In the described embodiment, the switch 718 is a4-port analog switch including a VSIM port for connecting to a VSIM pinof the cellular transceiver 114 used for SIM supply output, a data (DAT)port for connecting to a SIM_IO port of the cellular transceiver 114used for SIM data input/output (I/O), a clock (CLK) port for connectingto a SIM_CLK port of the cellular transceiver 114 used for SIM clockoutput, and a reset (RST) port for connecting to a SIM_RST port of thecellular transceiver 114 used for SIM reset output which resets thecellular transceiver 114. While a hardware switch is used in thedescribed embodiment, a software switch could be used instead of ahardware switch in other embodiments. The software switch could beimplemented by software executed by the processor 104.

While physical SIM cards are used in the described embodiment, virtualSIM cards 730 may be provided in other embodiments rather than physicalSIM cards. When virtual SIM cards 730 are provided, the switching may bedone via software by the transceiver module or processor 104.

FIG. 8A illustrates a flowchart of a method 800 of selecting a SIM cardof a mobile transceiver 102 such as a GNSS tracking device in accordancewith one example embodiment of the present disclosure. The method may becarried out by software executed by a processor of the mobiletransceiver 102. Coding of software for carrying out such a method 800is within the scope of a person of ordinary skill in the art providedthe present disclosure. The method 800 may contain additional or fewerprocesses than shown and/or described, and may be performed in adifferent order in other embodiments. Machine readable code executableby the processor to perform the method 800 may be stored in a machinereadable medium such as a memory of the mobile transceiver 102.

At 802, the mobile transceiver 102 wakes up from a low power mode aftera period of inactivity. For example, the mobile transceiver 102 may wakeup from a sleep mode in response to a wakeup event (also describedherein as an alarm). The alarm which caused the wake up may be atime-based alarm or sensor-based alarm.

At 806, the mobile transceiver 102 determines whether a SIM card hasbeen pre-selected for a location of the mobile transceiver 102 or thewakeup event. When a SIM card has been pre-selected, the pre-selectedSIM card is selected as a first subscriber identity module (SIM) card712 and operations proceed to 808. In some embodiments, determiningwhether a SIM card has been pre-selected comprises determining whetherthe wakeup event corresponds to a waypoint in a travel itinerary (orroute to be followed by the asset/mobile transceiver 102). In someembodiments, a travel itinerary may be provided to the mobiletransceiver 102 by the asset tracking service 200. The travel itinerarydefines a number of waypoints including an origin, destination andpossibly intermediate waypoints along the intended route and optionallyan expected time at the various waypoints based on the mode oftransportation.

The travel itinerary may be downloaded from the asset tracking service200 at or before the beginning of a trip. The asset tracking service 200may also send instructions/command to the mobile transceiver 102 whichconfigure time-based wakeup events on the mobile transceiver 102 whichwake up the mobile transceiver 102 from a low power mode atpredetermined times and/or predetermined frequencies. The asset trackingservice 200 may also pre-select a SIM card for waypoints in the travelitinerary and/or pre-select a SIM card for geographical areas for themobile transceiver 102 to use based on the current time, time-zone andgeographical area of the mobile transceiver 102 at a pre-programmedwakeup event. The pre-selected SIM represents a preferred SIM card. Ifthere is no wireless (cellular) coverage while in transit, the mobiletransceiver 102 may be configured not to activate the cellulartransceiver 114, thereby conserving computing and power resources. In along-range application in which the mobile transceiver 102 may be out ofwireless coverage for an extended period of time, one or morepre-programmed wakeup events at intervals along the route may also beprovided for data logging only using the satellite receiver 120 toobtain a location fix and/or sensors 130 to obtain environmental data.An example travel itinerary is provided below in Table 1.

TABLE 1 Example travel itinerary Event Waypoint SIM Region 1 Origin SIM1 Asia Pacific . . . In transit None - No coverage - do not Asia Pacificactivate n − 1 In transit SIM 2 EMEA N Destination SIM n North America

In the example travel itinerary in Table 1, the travel itineraryincludes a number of wakeup events each including a number of parametersincluding, a wakeup event identifier or descriptor, a waypointdescriptor, a pre-selected SIM card, and a location (e.g., geographicalregion). In other embodiments, an expected time based on the mode oftransportation may also be provided. The available wireless coverage forthe particular geographic location and/or a preferred wireless carrier,from a list of available carriers associated with each SIM card (ifthere is more than one wireless carrier) may also be specified in thetravel itinerary.

While the travel itinerary has being described has including certaindata items and having a certain data structure, the present disclosureis not intended to be limited to the described data structure. Any datastructure in which the described data items are provided and associatedwith each other may be used, whether those data items are stored in atravel itinerary or elsewhere.

When the wakeup event corresponds to a waypoint in a travel itinerary,the mobile transceiver 102 may determine whether a SIM card has beenpre-selected for the particular waypoint. This step is optional and usedin embodiments in which the travel itinerary includes at least some ofthe waypoints for which no SIM card is pre-selected. A SIM card may notbe pre-selected for a particular waypoint for a variety of reasons. Forexample, the waypoint may be in a location for which there is nocoverage (e.g., at sea). However, the waypoint may still be of interestfor data logging purposes, for example, for acquiring location data viathe satellite receiver 120 and/or sensor data via one or more sensors130 and storing the acquired location data and/or sensor data in a datalog in a memory 112 of the mobile transceiver 102. When a SIM card hasbeen pre-selected for the particular waypoint, the SIM card associatedwith the particular waypoint is selected as the first SIM card.

In other embodiments, determining whether a SIM card has beenpre-selected comprises determining a location of the mobile transceiver102. The location maybe determined via the satellite receiver 120.Alternatively, the location may be determined by determining an expectedlocation of the mobile transceiver from the travel itinerary inaccordance with the current time. Optionally, the mobile transceiver 102may determine whether the determined location of the mobile transceivercorresponds to a waypoint in the travel itinerary. When the determinedlocation corresponds to a location or waypoint in the travel itinerary,the mobile transceiver 102 determines whether a SIM card has beenpre-selected for the location or waypoint in the travel itinerary. Whena SIM card has been pre-selected for the particular location orwaypoint, the SIM card associated with the particular location orwaypoint is selected as the first SIM card.

When more than one wireless service is available, for the selected SIM,the mobile transceiver 102 may select a wireless service from theavailable wireless services in accordance with a location of the mobiletransceiver or a waypoint associated with the wakeup event and a list ofpreferred wireless services for a plurality of locations or waypoints ofa travel itinerary.

In other embodiments, it is contemplated that the decision block 806could be omitted and a SIM card may be selected by the mobiletransceiver 102 in alternate embodiments in which SIM cards are notpre-selected.

At 808, the mobile transceiver 102 activates the cellular transceiver114 from a low power mode using the first SIM card. This causes themobile transceiver 102 and the cellular transceiver 114 to use thesubscriber identity data of the first SIM card. The mobile transceiver102 may activate the satellite receiver 120 from a low power mode atthis time or when needed. For example, the mobile transceiver 102 maywake up the satellite receiver 120 from a sleep mode. The activating ofthe cellular transceiver 114 and optionally satellite receiver 120 maybe performed, for example, by the main processor 104 or the basebandprocessor 304, depending on the embodiment.

At 810, the cellular transceiver 114 searches for wireless servicesassociated with the first SIM card 712. The cellular transceiver 114 maysearch for an available wireless signal based on a preferred wirelesscarrier from a list of available carriers associated with each SIM cardspecified in the travel itinerary based on the particular location orwaypoint. Alternatively, the cellular transceiver 114 may search for anavailable wireless signal based on a stored table of supported wirelessservices, such as a profile efficiency table. For example, when thewireless transceivers comprises a multi-band cellular transceiver 114supporting 4G LTE, 3G and 2G is carried by the mobile transceiver 102,the cellular transceiver 114 searches (e.g., scans) for 4G LTE, 3G and2G cellular data services.

At 812, the mobile transceiver 102 determines whether wireless servicesare available based on whether any response to the scans are received,for example, from base stations or nodes in a cellular network 160. Whena wireless service is not available, operations proceed to 814 at whichthe mobile transceiver 102 determines whether any other SIM cards areavailable, for example, any SIM cards which have not yet been attemptedsince the wakeup was triggered.

When another SIM card is available, operations proceed to 816 at whichthe mobile transceiver 102 switches from the first SIM card 712 to adifferent SIM card in the physical or virtual SIM cards, such as thesecond SIM card 714. The cellular transceiver 114 is typically reset(e.g., restarted/re-activated) after switching the SIM card. Optionally,the process of switching SIMs may require the step of switching SIMpower and RF front-end circuits which are shared between the SIM cards.Operations then proceed to 810 at which the cellular transceiver 114searches for wireless services associated with the second SIM card 714.

When another SIM card is not available, the mobile transceiver 102 maydetermine its location and/or sense an environment of the mobiletransceiver 102, saved the acquired data, and enter a low power mode.Alternatively, the mobile transceiver 102 may enter a low power modewithout data logging in other embodiments.

When a wireless service is available, operations proceed to 818 at whichthe mobile transceiver 102 accesses, or connects to, a wireless servicefrom the available wireless services. The mobile transceiver 102 mayoptionally compare the available wireless coverage and wireless networkprovider at each point along the route specified in the travel itineraryprovided by the asset tracking service 200 to the capabilities of theon-board SIMs, determine a preferred SIM and/or wireless service(carrier) and store the preferred selections for future use.

At 819, the mobile transceiver 102 may optionally determine whether aSIM switch should be performed. Example methods of switching SIM cardsin accordance with embodiments of the present disclosure are describedbelow in connection with FIGS. 9A and 9B.

At 820, the mobile transceiver 102 may determine its location using thesatellite receiver 120 and store the determined location and a timeassociated with the determined location in the data log stored in thememory 112. The mobile transceiver 102 may sense, via one or more of thesensors 130, an environment of the mobile transceiver 102, and store thesensor data obtained via the sensors 130 and a time at which the sensordata was obtained in the data log stored in the memory 122.

At 830, the mobile transceiver 102 may report (e.g., send) measuredand/or logged data to the asset tracking service 200. The mobiletransceiver 102 sends at least a portion of the data log to the assettracking service 200 using the wireless service.

At 840, after the mobile transceiver 102 has sent at least a portion ofthe data log to the asset tracking service 200 using the wirelessservice, a low power mode is initiated for the cellular transceiver 114and/or satellite receiver 120, or possibly the entire mobile transceiver102 until the next alarm (e.g., logging and/or reporting cycle). Inaddition to the cellular transceiver 114 and/or satellite receiver 120,one or both of the processor 104 and sensors 130 may enter a low powermode.

Returning to decision block 806, when a SIM card has not beenpre-selected, the mobile transceiver 102 determines its location and/orsenses an environment of the mobile transceiver 102, saves the acquireddata, and enters a low power mode. Alternatively, the mobile transceiver102 may enter a low power mode without data logging in otherembodiments. Alternatively, when a SIM card has not been pre-selected, alast used SIM card in the physical or virtual SIM cards is selected asthe first SIM card. Alternatively, when a SIM card has not beenpre-selected, a last used SIM card in the physical or virtual SIM cardsis selected as the first SIM card.

FIG. 8B illustrates a flowchart of a method 850 of selecting a SIM cardof a mobile transceiver 102 such as a GNSS tracking device in accordancewith one example embodiment of the present disclosure. The method 850 issimilar to the method 800 described above except that when a SIM cardhas not been pre-selected, the operations proceed to 852 at which themobile transceiver 102 selects a SIM card from a physical or virtual SIMcards as the first SIM card. In some embodiments, a last used SIM cardin the physical or virtual SIM cards is selected as the first SIM cardwhen a SIM card has not been pre-selected. In other embodiments,selecting a SIM card from a physical or virtual SIM cards as the firstSIM card comprises determining a location of the mobile transceiver 102,and a SIM card is selected from a physical or virtual SIM cards as thefirst SIM card in accordance with the determined location of the mobiletransceiver 102.

Example methods of switching SIM cards in accordance with embodiments ofthe present disclosure will now be described in connection with FIGS. 9Aand 9B. FIG. 9A illustrates a flowchart of a method 900 of switching SIMcards of a mobile transceiver 102 such as a GNSS tracking device inaccordance with one example embodiment of the present disclosure. Themethod may be carried out by software executed by a processor of themobile transceiver 102. Coding of software for carrying out such amethod 900 is within the scope of a person of ordinary skill in the artprovided the present disclosure. The method 900 may contain additionalor fewer processes than shown and/or described, and may be performed ina different order in other embodiments. Machine readable code executableby the processor to perform the method 900 may be stored in a machinereadable medium such as a memory of the mobile transceiver 102.

At 902, the mobile transceiver 102 determines a mobile country code(MCC) to identify a mobile network operator (carrier) associated witheach response. In some embodiments, the mobile transceiver 102determines a MCC and a mobile network code (MNC) from the responsesreceived to the scanning to uniquely identify a mobile network operator(carrier), sometimes referred to as MCC/MNC tuple. The ITU-TRecommendation E.212 defines mobile country codes as well as mobilenetwork codes.

At 904, the mobile transceiver 102 determines whether a preferred SIM isavailable based on the MCC and possibly the MNC for each of theresponses received. When a SIM preferred is available, operationsproceed to 816 at which the mobile transceiver 102 switches to adifferent SIM card in the physical or virtual SIM cards, such as thesecond SIM card 714. When a SIM preferred is not available, operationsmay proceed to 820 or possibly to the method 910.

While the method 900 is shown as occurring after the mobile transceiver102 accesses, or connects to, a wireless service from the availablewireless services in the present embodiment, it could be performedbefore this occurs in other embodiments.

FIG. 9B illustrates a flowchart of a method 910 of switching SIM cardsof a mobile transceiver 102 such as a GNSS tracking device in accordancewith one example embodiment of the present disclosure. The method may becarried out by software executed by a processor of the mobiletransceiver 102. Coding of software for carrying out such a method 910is within the scope of a person of ordinary skill in the art providedthe present disclosure. The method 910 may contain additional or fewerprocesses than shown and/or described, and may be performed in adifferent order in other embodiments. Machine readable code executableby the processor to perform the method 910 may be stored in a machinereadable medium such as a memory of the mobile transceiver 102.

At 912, the mobile transceiver 102 determines whether a switch commandis received from the asset tracking service 200. The switch commandincludes a command or instruction to switch from the current SIM card tothe alternate SIM card, and typically specifies the alternate SIM cardto be used by the mobile transceiver 102. The switch command may be sentby the asset tracking service 200 for a variety of reasons. For example,the asset tracking service 200 may have information about preferred ormore optimal wireless services associated with the SIM cards which isnot available to the mobile transceiver 102 because the mobiletransceiver 102 was not provided with such information or becauseinformation provided to the mobile transceiver 102 is out of date. Forexample, the alternate SIM card may be associated with an alternatecarrier which may be preferred or more optimal because it is associatedwith the carrier of the user's home network and/or carriers that have anadvantageous partnering agreement with the carrier of the user's homenetwork. Alternatively, the alternate carrier may have a preferred ormore optimal wireless service because it may have improved powerefficiency, reliability, data throughout, bandwidth, or Quality ofService (QoS). The switch command from the asset tracking service 200not only allows more current information to be used in selecting thewireless service, but also reduces power consumption on the mobiletransceiver 102 by having the decision making as to the preferred ormore optimal wireless service performed by the asset tracking service200 instead of the mobile transceiver 102.

When a switch command is received, the operations continue to 816 atwhich the mobile transceiver 102 switches from the current SIM card to adifferent SIM card in the physical or virtual SIM cards. When a switchcommand is not received, the operations continue to 820.

While the methods 900 and 910 of switching SIM cards are described asoccurring in a particular order, it is contemplated that the methodscould be performed in any order, that only one of the methods may beperformed in other embodiments, or that neither of the methods may beperformed in other embodiments.

The above-described methods provide power efficient global andlong-range tracking methods that allow preferred wireless services to beused based on the geographic area in which the mobile transceiver 102 islocated or which expands the number of available wireless services byusing multiple SIM cards. Optionally, the mobile transceiver 102 mayautomatically switch to an alternate SIM, chosen from a plurality of theavailable SIMs, based on location after obtaining a location fix, if thepreferred SIM is not available, does not respond, or no SIM wasspecified. The above-described methods are particularly advantageouswhen the mobile transceiver 102 is provided with a non-rechargeablebattery. The above-described methods are also particularly advantageouswhen a period of time has elapsed since the mobile transceiver 102determined its location using the satellite receiver, for example, whenthe mobile transceiver 102 wakes up after a period of inactivity inwhich at least the satellite receiver and wireless transceiver were in alow power mode.

The steps and/or operations in the flowcharts and drawings describedherein are for purposes of example only. There may be many variations tothese steps and/or operations without departing from the teachings ofthe present disclosure. For instance, the steps may be performed in adiffering order, or steps may be added, deleted, or modified.

While the present disclosure is described, at least in part, in terms ofmethods, a person of ordinary skill in the art will understand that thepresent disclosure is also directed to the various components forperforming at least some of the aspects and features of the describedmethods, be it by way of hardware components, software or anycombination of the two, or in any other manner. Moreover, the presentdisclosure is also directed to a pre-recorded storage device or othersimilar machine readable medium including program instructions storedthereon for performing the methods described herein.

The present disclosure may be embodied in other specific forms withoutdeparting from the subject matter of the claims. The described exampleembodiments are to be considered in all respects as being onlyillustrative and not restrictive. The present disclosure intends tocover and embrace all suitable changes in technology. The scope of thepresent disclosure is, therefore, described by the appended claimsrather than by the foregoing description. The scope of the claims shouldnot be limited by the embodiments set forth in the examples, but shouldbe given the broadest interpretation consistent with the description asa whole.

The invention claimed is:
 1. A method of operating a mobile transceiver,comprising: waking up the mobile transceiver from a low power mode;determining from a memory of the mobile transceiver a last usedsubscriber identity module (SIM) card in a plurality of SIM cards;activating a cellular transceiver using the last used SIM card;searching, via the cellular transceiver, for available wireless servicesassociated with the last used SIM card; and switching from the last usedSIM card to another SIM card in the plurality of SIM cards when awireless service for the last used SIM card is not available.
 2. Themethod of claim 1, further comprising: resetting the cellulartransceiver using the other SIM card; searching, via the cellulartransceiver, for available wireless services associated with the otherSIM card; and switching from the other SIM card to a further SIM card inthe plurality of SIM cards when a wireless service for the other SIMcard is not available.
 3. The method of claim 1, wherein the pluralityof SIM cards comprises virtual SIM cards.
 4. A mobile transceiver,comprising: a processor; a memory coupled to the processor, the memoryhaving stored thereon executable instructions for execution by theprocessor; a cellular transceiver coupled to the processor; a pluralityof SIMs coupled to the processor; wherein the executable instructions,when executed by the processor of the electronic device, cause themobile transceiver to: wake up the mobile transceiver from a low powermode; determine from a memory of the mobile transceiver a last usedsubscriber identity module (SIM) card in a plurality of SIM cards;activate the cellular transceiver using the last used SIM card; search,via the cellular transceiver, for available wireless services associatedwith the last used SIM card; and switch from the last used SIM card toanother SIM card in the plurality of SIM cards when a wireless servicefor the last used SIM card is not available.
 5. The mobile transceiverof claim 4, wherein the executable instructions, when executed by theprocessor, cause the mobile transceiver to: reset the cellulartransceiver using the other SIM card; search, via the cellulartransceiver, for available wireless services associated with the otherSIM card; and switch from the other SIM card to a further SIM card inthe plurality of SIM cards when a wireless service for the other SIMcard is not available.
 6. The mobile transceiver of claim 4, wherein theplurality of SIM cards comprises virtual SIM cards.
 7. A non-transitorymachine readable medium having tangibly stored thereon executableinstructions for execution by a processor of a mobile transceiver, themobile transceiver comprising a cellular transceiver and a plurality ofSIMs coupled to the processor, wherein the executable instructions, whenexecuted by the processor, cause the mobile transceiver, to: wake up themobile transceiver from a low power mode; determine from a memory of themobile transceiver a last used subscriber identity module (SIM) card ina plurality of SIM cards; activate the cellular transceiver using thelast used SIM card; search, via the cellular transceiver, for availablewireless services associated with the last used SIM card; and switchfrom the last used SIM card to another SIM card in the plurality of SIMcards when a wireless service for the last used SIM card is notavailable.
 8. The non-transitory machine readable medium of claim 7,wherein the executable instructions, when executed by the processor,cause the mobile transceiver to: reset the cellular transceiver usingthe other SIM card; search, via the cellular transceiver, for availablewireless services associated with the other SIM card; and switch fromthe other SIM card to a further SIM card in the plurality of SIM cardswhen a wireless service for the other SIM card is not available.
 9. Thenon-transitory machine readable medium of claim 7, wherein the pluralityof SIM cards comprises virtual SIM cards.
 10. A method of operating amobile transceiver, comprising: waking up the mobile transceiver from alow power mode in response to a wakeup event; determining whether asubscriber identity module (SIM) card has been pre-selected for thewakeup event; when a SIM card has been pre-selected for the wakeupevent: activating a cellular transceiver using the pre-selected SIMcard; and searching, via the cellular transceiver, for availablewireless services associated with the pre-selected SIM card.
 11. Themethod of claim 10, wherein the wakeup event comprises a time-basedalarm.
 12. The method of claim 10, further comprising: when a SIM cardhas not been pre-selected: selecting a SIM card from a plurality of SIMcards as the first SIM card; activating the cellular transceiver usingthe first SIM card; and searching, via the cellular transceiver, foravailable wireless services associated with the first SIM card.
 13. Themethod of claim 12, wherein a last used SIM card in the plurality of SIMcards is selected as the first SIM card when a SIM card has not beenpre-selected.
 14. The method of claim 12, wherein selecting the SIM cardfrom the plurality of SIM cards as the first SIM card comprises:determining a location of the mobile transceiver using a satellitereceiver; and selecting the SIM card from the plurality of SIM cards inaccordance with characteristics of the first SIM card and the determinedlocation of the mobile transceiver.
 15. The method of claim 10, furthercomprising: when a wireless service is not available, switching from thefirst SIM card to a different SIM card in the plurality of SIM cards.16. The method of claim 15, further comprising: resetting the cellulartransceiver using the different SIM card; and searching, via thecellular transceiver, for available wireless services associated withthe different SIM card.
 17. The method of claim 10, further comprising:when each SIM in the plurality of SIM cards has been attempted and nowireless service is available, initiating a low power mode for themobile transceiver.
 18. A method of operating a mobile transceiver,comprising: determining a location of the mobile transceiver using asatellite receiver; determining whether a subscriber identity module(SIM) card has been pre-selected for the determined location of themobile transceiver; when a SIM card has been pre-selected for thecurrent location and when a wireless service is not connected:activating a cellular transceiver using the pre-selected SIM card, andsearching, via the cellular transceiver, for available wireless servicesassociated with the pre-selected SIM card.
 19. The method of claim 18,further comprising: when a wireless service is not available, switchingfrom the first SIM card to a different SIM card in the plurality of SIMcards.
 20. The method of claim 19, further comprising: resetting thecellular transceiver using the different SIM card; and searching, viathe cellular transceiver, for available wireless services associatedwith the different SIM card.